


Our Macabre Heaven

by Thecrimsondagger



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Humour, Memory Loss, Murder Family, Romance, Sisters, mentioned child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:48:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5061688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thecrimsondagger/pseuds/Thecrimsondagger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Each night is always the same, the dreams goading them with something that they could never have, something so impossible for them both, yet so perfect. When Sera Wright and Felicia Shepherd, best friends for as long as they can remember, wake up that morning, the last thing they expect is for their entire world, everything they thought was true, to be turned upside down by a terrible accident that throws them into a coma. The reality they wake up too is nothing like they ever thought possible. Faced with the frightening prospect that what they thought was real had been a lie, the intentions of Alpha's and the title of Omega's thrust upon them. personality clashes that could cost them their lives and a murderous threat that looms within the shadows, can these two girls find a way to wake up and remember what is real and what is false?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Collision Course

The two stared across from each other, one sipping gently at her steaming cup of coffee as the other watched over the edge of a newspaper. Both looked worn, sleep deprivation evident in each woman's eyes as they continued their battle to remain silent, neither one wanting to be the first to speak. 

"Are you going to say it, or am I?"

Her eyes dropped back down to the words on the paper, pretending to read as she avoided the murderous glare of the other, pushing a strand of raven black hair from her face with a subtle sigh of annoyance. This was getting ridiculous, yet another night of disturbed peace due to incessant dreams that never seemed to change in its details. She was always sat, body sheltered by a man, not much older than herself, as his pack of strays stood guard around them both, ever dutiful in their mission to protect both she and this man. It was a feeling of utter safety, cherished and protected as the man whispered sweet nothings into her ear and proved his love through his words and actions, his eyes occasionally capturing hers before flitting away, both knowing that he struggled with such a simple act of communication. She would wake from this dream each time with a tightness within her chest, moister within her eyes at the longing for it to have been real, for this man that she felt she knew to come for her and simply be there.

"No. I refuse to acknowledge where my subconscious wanders when I sleep"

She took a deep draw of her rapidly cooling coffee, still glaring over the rim as she felt the tremors of her heart betray her emotions towards her own disrupted night's sleep. Unlike her best friend, she could not so easily describe her own dreams as just that. They were not quite peaceful enough to be simple dreams, yet not quite terrifying enough to be called a nightmare. Whilst the other girl's dreams were always solid in their imagery, her own were more distorted as they flickered between three overly familiar scenes. She would always start with her back pressed firm against a strong chest, slender hands splayed across the delicate curve of her hips before the visage began to alter and change to that of her held down across the surface of a hard wood desk, the feel of devilishly talented lips dancing along the column of her throat before biting down firm enough to elicit a pleasured moan of pain from her lungs, blood welling up beneath her aggressive lovers teeth, as the vision altered to the finale, showing her body stretched languidly across an antique sofa, clothing and hair dishevelled as she recovered beneath the eyes of the man as he loomed above her, eyes glazed with a possessive gleam, lips stretched into a, barely visible, smile. She would wake to find her heart pounding as the remaining shreds of her arousal coursed through her veins, biting her lip gently in a strange form of shame that she would have enjoyed such attentions from this man in her dreams. Everything about him screamed danger, yelled at her to not trust such an individual. But then why, when she knew she had never been a gullible young woman, did she long for him in the same way her best friend longed for the man who haunted her own dreams? He made her feel protected, treasured as he ruined her each night in her sleep.

"Being afraid to admit to the oddities of your own subconscious will get you nowhere Fliss, and you know it... Every night we both suffer with the same dreams that leave us feeling off balance with each new morning"

"I am not afraid Sera! I just don't want to confess about something so embarrassing... Unless it's your turn to go first this time"

Sera folded the paper gently, a soft sigh passing her lips at the confrontational manner of the other girl. She was always like this in the morning, moody and overly-sensitive towards any form of questioning, just as Sera found herself unable to be anything other than cold and overly-analytical, trying to put distance between the true self that she would have to face each night in the realms of sleep. Neither girl wanted to admit how the dreams made them feel, unwilling to accept that they were their true selves within those moments.

"If it will help you come more to terms with it then I shall. My name is Sera Wright and I am addicted to sexually explicit dreams..."

"Does that include bestiality? Because I don't thinks it's normal for dogs to feature in sex dreams"

Felicia sniggered as Sera sent a half hearted glare at her joke, knowing that it was meant to be nothing more than just that. These morning chats were meant to be nothing more than a mockery of the dreams that taunted them each night, a way to shake off the feelings that they were left with each time. Or, as Felicia had once so eloquently labelled them, a fucked up form of therapy. 

"... And each night I dream of Will Graham, empathic profiler from the Hannibal series. None of the details ever change and I am constantly faced with the same feeling of utter safety and love, making me wish that I could make my sleep eternal if it meant I could stay with him because, apparently, screw ball empath's are right up my sexual ally.... Now, your turn"

Felicia gave a huff as she placed her empty cup down and folded her arms, closing her eyes as she began to speak.

"My name is Felicia Shepherd, and each night I dream of Hannibal Lector, psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer from the Hannibal series, also known as the Chesapeake ripper. None of the details ever change and I constantly find myself in moments of frightening intimacy with a man who should, by all rights, scare the life out of me. Yet I am faced with feelings of possession and belonging that make me wish I could just stay there with him... Because, clearly, sadistic psychopaths really rock my world"

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Sera couldn't help but to smile as she felt the unwelcome tension leave her as each girl recited their regular morning chant, confirming to their minds that the dreams were not real and that they would never be more than just persistent dreams. Her smile only grew as her friend swiped a hand across her tired face.

"How's about you bite me, I still feel like shit whether we talk about it or not"

"I thought that biting was Dr. Lector's privilege"

She squealed in shock as the old chipped coffee mug, that had been sat in front of Felicia, came hurtling towards her face and barely missed her as she managed to duck out of the way.

"Scratch that, how's about you cut the wise cracks and get ready to leave, otherwise you can walk to your stupid bloody lecture"

Sera pouted slightly as she sent a swift glance towards the shattered porcelain, grateful that she had dodged in time. It was hard to believe that the woman in front of her, with her face set in a scowl and her temper flaring like wild fire, was counted amongst one of the most polite and refined people she knew when out amongst the public. Shame it wasn't the same when in private.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"No"

"Oh come on Fliss, I passed my test and I need all the practice I can get."

Felicia scowled across the hood of her car, not appreciating the overly optimistic smile on the other girls face as she made her ridiculous request, she should have known from past experience that she would be swiftly rejected.

"I said: No. This car is my baby, my pride and joy. I would sooner set fire to my own hair than let you drive it"

"But I pass..."

"You passed on the eighth attempt, after numerous failed ones where you nearly drove the test car into some poor bastards front garden. Also, if you recall, I tried to give you booster lessons once to help build your confidence behind the wheel. Do you remember why I all but threw myself from the passenger seat and refused to ever repeat the experience again?"

Sera dropped her head slightly in embarrassment and gave a slight clearing of her throat, not really wanting to recall the first time she had heard a man scream in high soprano as she'd lost control of the test car and almost landed, wheels up, in the rose bushes of someone's precious garden. 

"It may or may not have had something to do with my nearly getting us slammed by an upcoming truck after missing that the lights had turned red at a cross-junction"

"Exactly! So pardon me if I have some lingering sense of self preservation and wish to hold onto my life for as long as possible. Now get in the damn car, we're already late"  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She wanted to scream blue murder as she forced her eyes to stay on the road ahead, listening as the other girl gave menacing giggles as she taunted her fair haired friend. Revenge for yet another swift rejection to the request of driving her car.

"So tell me, does it get your blood pumping to have a serial killer up close and personal to you over the surface of a desk?"

"Sera, I swear to god that if you don't shut up about that fucking dream, I'm going to throw you out of the car. Whilst it's still moving"

Sera smirked as she turned to look out of the window, watching as the buildings zipped by and she caught glimpses of the pedestrians as they walked their way to work. It seemed busier than usual today. 

"But I'm just worried about your mental health, chica. If you're suffering from Hybristophilia towards a fictional character, then surely I need to know encase you start re-enacting some of his crimes. The last thing we need is Bonnie acting without her Clyde"

"Have you been reading through my study documents again? And for your information, if I were going to remake one of Hannibal Lector's murders, I think I'd be sorely tempted to use you right now... And just to make things clear, at least I'm not the one dreaming about a socially inept man who is trapped somewhere between the realms of being autistic or sociopathic, with a severe inability to make eye contact and a worrying love for taking in abandoned dogs to form his own little family of rejects!"

Sera pouted at her words, feeling slightly offended at how her own situation had been brought into the discussion as she registered the aggression that lay within the other girls voice. She seemed much tetchier today, less willing to play along with Sera's teasing that usual, her eyes straying more and more from the road ahead in favour of glaring at the other girl. Her temper often made her careless, something that really wasn't desired when driving towards a busy set of traffic lights leading to the junction roundabout.

"Oh come on! I don't think that's fair at all. Will Graham simply suffers from a high level of empathy that makes him just not wish to connect with humans on any real form of emotional level, all because he always sees more than anyone should. Whereas with your dear Dr. Lector, we are looking at a severe case of sadistic psychopath who takes way too much pleasure from murdering, butchering and eating his victims. Did I forget to add the fact that he likes to 'elevate' his victims to the status of perfect pieces of art after stealing their organs? My apologies but, clearly, from this quick analysis of our separate fantasies, you are clearly the one who needs the help of a therapist... Preferably not a cannibalistic one"

Felicia could feel the witty retort poised upon her tongue, her rage making her completely obliviously to the red traffic lights that flashed before her speeding vehicle, vaguely noticing the change in Sera's expression as it shifted from smug victory to growing horror as she looked past her friends face and out of the window. Her own voice was cut off before given the chance to form words as Sera screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Felicia! Reverse the..."

Her words were cut short as the lorry slammed into the side of the vehicle, throwing it onto its side with the force of the impact as smoke began to billow from the bonnet and small sparks of a flame began to catch on the oil as it leaked onto the tarmac. Inside the vehicle, two bodies lay motionless as the world around them fell into instant darkness.

*Only moments later:*

Sera could hear the sound of a monitor screaming into life, her own voice groaning alongside a second as she tried, and failed, to force her eyes to focus and seeing only white walls and the vague outlines of a piece of machinery. Voices were calling out around her, yet none of them seemed familiar as she tried to make sense of it all, tried to see if she could see even the faintest blur of Felicia amongst the vague images of people dressed in, what seemed to be, blue scrubs. Nurses?

"Someone call for the doctor! I think their waking up"

"Hello, Doctor Trent? It's the patients in private ward 3, Their vitals have spiked and are beginning to show signs of activity. We believe they are waking up"

Footsteps seemed to pound through the distorted room as two men, neither dressed like the nurses, tried to push their way forward, one towards Sera and the other towards a separate bed that stood to the right of her own. The words that passed the lips of the obscured nurse were the final thing that Sera heard before succumbing to the realms of sleep once more, her body and mind hit with a wave of exhaustion that seemed all consuming.

"Mr Graham, Dr. Lector, It would be best if you left and sat in the waiting room until the doctor is here and able to give you further news... Just until we are certain that your Omega mates have recovered from their comas"


	2. We're not in Kansas anymore

'In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was going to get out again' - Lewis Carole

Her eyes gazed upwards, hands folded atop the wrinkled sheets of the hospital bed as she tried to control the storm of emotions that raged within her. She had been lay here for a full day, the nurses coming in occasionally to check on her condition along with that of the unconscious woman beside her.

She truly envied Sera in this moment. The raven haired woman had passed out only moments after initially waking up and, therefore, had missed the madness that had ensued within the confines of the private ward. Thankfully that also included the hysteria that had taken hold of Felicia's senses when, having gained clarity of her where about and the ability to register the faces within the room, had come face to face with a man as he struggled to reach her against the nurses.

Hannibal Lector. Dressed in his trademark three-piece suit and his hair slightly dishevelled from his tussle with the hospital staff and in that moment, he'd seemed nothing like what her recurring dreams had portrayed him to be. Whilst his mask of indifference had seemed mostly unaffected by the events going on around, she could see a spark of relief within those dark sanguine orbs that should have remained unnoticed to her. And yet, it seemed so natural for her to understand every small shift of emotion that occurred within the man.

She had been overwhelmed, panic setting in fast as her eyes darted around the room in hopes that she was just having a fresh dream only to find the figure of Will Graham, a man who had never once featured within her subconscious manifestations, fighting his own losing battle against the nurses. Although he had been much less graceful in his attempts to reach Sera in the bed beside her own, having tried to bite one of the poor members of staff for his efforts in subduing the other.

She was ashamed to admit it now, after always crediting herself for being able to handle even the most stressful or bizarre of situations, that she had seen fit to pull the blankets of her bed over her head as she muttered 'it's only a dream, it's not real' repeatedly to try and reassure herself. To no such success it would seem as, when she had peaked out from beneath, her vision was met with the same sight.

It had gotten no better from there. She had been left to calm down for a few hours, the steady breathing of Sera as she slept and the low hums and beeps of the life support machines beside their separate beds the only sound to keep her company before the nurses had chosen to return. She had believed that whichever twisted god had conjured this oddity up could not possibly have made anything worse for either she or Sera, but she had been so terribly wrong.

"Miss Shepherd, we understand that you are confused and dazed by what has happened, but we assure you that everything will be alright now. You, alongside your friend, have been in a coma for the past six months after an attack was made upon you both by an alpha that held a vendetta against your own alpha mates... It is not uncommon for omega's to be targeted like this. You were both lucky to survive at all. Would you like to see your mate now, I am sure it will put your mind at ease"

Felicia had nearly choked on fresh air at the nurses words, unable to form even two words together as she shook her head in refusal. How was seeing him going to help her? Being left alone in a room with a cannibalistic serial killer, with no one but her slumbering best friend for back up, had not seemed like the brightest idea the nurse could have suggested. But what made even less sense about the nurse's words was the reference to how they had ended up in the hospital to begin with and, even more so, the insinuation that both she and Sera were not only omega's but both had alpha mates. Hannibal and Will it would have seemed.

She had clear recollection of the accident and, if she wasn't much mistaken, it had definitely not been an attack. They had been in her car on the way to their separate places of work and education whilst they had bickered over the contents of their dreams, drawing her focus away from the road and causing her to fail in stopping at a red light, resulting in a lorry hurtling into the side of the car. That was what had landed them in these beds. Definitely not an attack, but she was clearly going to need some stern words with Sera on the importance of allowing the designated driver to concentrate on their surroundings. And what was this about alpha's and omega's? The last she had checked, there had been no such concept in the world she knew. Only the idea of regular men and women going about their lives without the burden of such labels dictating their behaviour. 

"My subconscious needs a swift kick up the ass if it thinks I'm an omega in this twisted reality it's conjured for itself"

Her grumbling was cut short as a low groan sounded from the bed beside her, attention drawn back to her surroundings as Sera began to stir from her slumber. She was tossing slightly, trying to re-enter the realms of sleep but failing miserably as Felicia gave a sigh, not entirely sure if it was in frustration at everything or if it was in relief that the other girl had regained consciousness. She decided that it could only be a mixture of the two as she thought of ways to break her friend gently into this strange world they found themselves within.

"Sera? Come on, time to wake up"

"No... *yawn*... Five more minutes? I don't have lectures today"

Felicia placed a hand over her eyes in exasperation at the other girls words. She must have still been too wrapped up in sleep to piece together what had happened before. Clearly, a more direct approach was needed.

"You won't need to worry about lectures for now. Open your eyes Dorothy, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"

Sera groaned as she forced her eyes to open fully, blinking a few times to clear the sleep that coated her vision before bolting upright and beginning to look around frantically, a horrified expression upon her face, skin losing any healthy colouring as she began to recall what little she could.

"Oh god. I thought... I thought it was just a trick of my mind when I heard the nurses talking to those guys... Please tell me we're just in a regular hospital, that Graham and Lector aren't sitting out in the waiting room"

"Keep wishing... I've been up since you passed out. Trust me, it gets ALOT worse.... How do you feel about being an omega in this messed up coma dream, With Will as your alpha mate?"

The expression upon Sera's face was one of horrified bewilderment mixed with a small spark of genuine curiosity towards the situation.

"How are we meant to get out of this mess? I've never met anyone who'd experienced a coma dream like this.... Wait, when I heard the nurses talking, they said 'omegas'. Meaning that, if I'm one of the omega's, you're the other one and Hannibal Lector is your alpha"

Felicia just gave a small nod, a dead-pan look on her face as the raven haired woman began to cackle at the confirmation. What could possibly be so amusing about any of this situation?

"You're one of the rudest people I know when cornered or taken out of the public eye... Girl, you're going to be dinner before the end of the week"

"Yeah? Well you're hardly one to talk! He'll probably have your liver for a started.... Shh, someone's coming"

The pair fell silent as the sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, cutting Sera short in the reply she had been about to give and stopping outside the door, a hand grasping the handle and turning slowly as voices were heard on the other side.

"If you will just give me a moment sirs, I'll check to see if either of your omega's are awake yet and up to taking visitors. If so, then you will need to be delicate when handling the patients. According to tests, it seems that no long time neurological damage has occurred. However, as if common with coma patients, shock and signs of amnesia are present within the pair."

The nurse pushed the door open, a warm smile on her lips as she met the blank gazes of the two women within the private room. She faltered slightly beneath those eyes, unable to recall the last time she had seen any omega look so cold or vacant of emotion. Omega's were usually the friendlier of the three genders, alpha's tending more toward aggressive or hostile behaviour whilst beta's stood within neutral territory of the two. If it were not for the over-powering scent of omega that met the nurse as she had entered, she would have thought the two were beta's.

"It's good to see you are both awake at last. We were beginning to wonder if you would ever wake Miss Wright... I know that it may seem a bit soon, but would you both be willing to take visitors now? They have been quite concerned about you both, especially with Miss Shepherd's refusal to allow them entry to the room"

Felicia let herself rest against her pillows, scowling towards the ceiling at the nurses slight tone of reprimand directed towards her. She'd never liked being made to feel like a child and this woman was already starting to push the limits of her fraying temper. Sera gave a gentle smile towards the nurse, something about the strange scent that invaded her, suddenly all too sensitive, nose made her instincts scream 'beta' as she gave a little nod of acceptance and watched the nurse retreat from the room.

Sera took a moment to let her eyes wander around the room, taking in the plain looking walls with bare minimum decoration against the pale blue and white of the paint. She sighed, already bored with the room, as she moved her gaze towards the nightstand and a confused frown graced her lips. Upon the little table stood a stuffed dog plushie, a husky, beside a 'get well soon' card that also had prints of dogs upon the front. A gift from Will Graham? She pulled the stuffed toy towards her, looking at it for a moment before turning to look at Felicia once more. The blond had a slight smirk on her lips as dark blue eyes scanned the toy. She seemed about to speak before Sera pointed an accusing finger towards her.

"Don't you dare say a word"

"Looks like dear Will likes you, maybe you'll finally get to join his little family of strays after all"

Felicia sniggered in amusement at the angry glare that was directed her way, narrowly missing the pillow that was thrown her way. She really did love the other girl like a sister but, after the copious amount of times that Sera had teased her, it was high time to get a little doze of revenge upon the raven haired woman.

"Yeah, well what about the fucking roses on your own nightstand? If I'm not much mistaken, you're not one to talk about having an admirer in this macabre FUCK UP that you landed us in with that accident... By the way, I really don't think you have room to insult my driving skills ever again"

The grin vanished from Felicia's face at the other woman's words, a twitch beginning to form within her right eye in annoyance as she prepared to aim her own reply in defence of herself, only to be silenced by a sudden clearing of a throat. Any remaining colour within their faces seemed to drain as they turned to look towards the foot of their beds, eyes locking with another's. Felicia wanted to scream blue murder as she stared into the face of Dr. Lector, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips in a vague show of amusement as his hands gripped the handles of the hospital bed. Sera, on the other hand, simply felt frozen as Will tried and failed to make genuine eye contact with her, resulting to staring just above her face and at the wall behind.

"It is good to see you are both well and, apparently, haven't lost any of your fiery personalities. Although, dear Felicia, it was rather cruel not to allow us into the room once you had awoken"

Hannibal's words were like honey to her ears as she fought against her own minds desire to simply melt in pleasure at the sound of his beautifully accented voice. She sure as hell wasn't about to play along with this sudden role of 'omega' that had been thrust upon her, even with his overpowering scent of spice and sheer strength invading her senses.

"I'd just woken up from a coma, so sorry if that made me unwilling to take visitors. And besides, sleeping beauty over there has only just woken up so there wouldn't have been much point in a visit until now"

"Hey, don't blame me for the fact that you're an anti-social bitch"

Hannibal raised an eye brow slightly at the tone the two women were using. It had been a long time since he'd heard his mate direct such blatant sarcasm towards him, not since they had first met and he had found himself unable to even picture using her for his next masterpiece or ingredient. He was less surprised by the poor language and rude tone of Sera, having been forced to accept that he could not kill her for the offense unless he wished to break his own mates heart and the heart of his friend.

"I am not anti-social! I just didn't want to attempt a conversation with your snoring as a background noise"

Sera looked offended for a vague moment, how dare the other woman accuse her of snoring! She moved to face the other fully, planning to voice her own opinions, before a sharp twang of pain shot up through her limbs and a pained groan forced its way from her throat. Will panicked as he moved to check for what could have caused her discomfort, finding that her movement had caused the morphine drip syringe to dislodge from her arm slightly, sending a look towards the other alpha for assistance in the matter. He was an ex surgeon after all.

Hannibal reluctantly removed himself from Felicia's bedside, scanning his eye along the dislodge syringe before signalling for Sera to lift her arm so that he could re-insert the morphine drip. He felt a twitch begin to form within his right eye, a physical manifestation to display annoyance that he shared with Felicia, as the raven haired woman shook her head and scowled as she spoke.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to reignite your love for the medical practice by practicing on me. I'd much prefer an official nurse to do it so that I know it's been done right"

Felicia felt her jaw drop slightly at her friends words, shocked that she would be so rude towards a man who killed for that exact reason, before allowing laughter to pass her lips whilst pointing towards the other.

"What was that about me only lasting a week? At this rate, you're not even going to last a full day"

"That was very rude young Sera, what should be done about that?"

Sera's eyes widened slightly at the subtle threat that lay beneath those words, forcing herself to sit upright in the bed. It may have seemed like a hollow threat, but this guy wasn't someone she wanted to take that risk with. She turned to Will, trying to place a convincing smile on her lips as she pulled herself from the bed, allowing him to help with the drip as she thought of the quickest way to escape the room and its cannibalistic occupant.

"I could murder a coffee. Will, Do you know where I could get a coffee?"

She grinned wide as Felicia sent a look of murderous rage towards her, all but able to hear the insults echoing around her head as she was helped to the door by Will, turning slightly to give her parting words.

"He's your problem now... Play nice chica"

The door clicking shut behind Sera sounded almost ominous as Felicia and Hannibal turned, once more, to look at each other. That vague smile was beginning to return to his face and the strange scent that made her mind scream to submit to the alpha only seemed to have grown stronger now that it was not mingled with the scent of Will. She tightened her fists within the bed sheets, trying her hardest to remain unaffected by what she was sensing from the other man, pure strength and masculinity radiating from him in waves as she fought to suppress the groan of appreciation that wanted to break free. It shouldn't have felt so good to have him so close.

"When... When will we be discharged from here?"

"I shall speak with the doctors now. I should think that once they have been able to check that you are both suitably recovered, yourself and young Sera shall be returned to the care of myself and William. There is no better place for an omega to recover than within the safety of their own home and under the protection of their mates"

She went rigid at his words, watching as he left the room in search for a doctor who could answer his questions. Put under the care of Hannibal Lector and Will Graham? This situation was just going from bad to worse she thought as she collapsed back against her pillows once more.


	3. Getting to know you?

She grimaced as she took a sip of the steaming liquid within the polystyrene cup, the flavour leaving a foul taste as she set it back down on the table. Weak with far too much milk only making it worse, the coffee beans clearly burned whilst being passed through the machine. In short, this poor substitute for what she would normally drink was only making her feel worse as she tried to think of something to say to the man sat with her at the table.

"One good thing about living with Felicia: The girl has good taste, I think I've gotten far too used to the Venezuelan dark roast that she gets delivered"

She tried to cover the slight smile that threatened her lips as Will gave a soft chuckle, feigning eye contact as he chose to focus upon the tip of her nose. She couldn't quite put her finger upon it, but something about Will gave her a strange feeling of comfort in the hectic haze that seemed to be her mind, the scent of cinnamon spiced apples laced with a small twinge of honey sweetness as a subtle wafting of a log burning fire cut through to give a delicious smokiness to the fragrance that reminded her of perfect winter nights and snug log cabins that soothed away the bite of the first snow fall. It took all her control not to inhale that scent and let herself drown within it.

"It's been a while since you lived with Felicia. Sera, can I ask you something?"

She tilted her head slightly, earning another smile from the empath before her. It might not have seemed like anything important to someone else but, to Will, it was a gesture that brought back fond memories of his mate, a cute sign of confusion or inquisitiveness and, on the odd occasion, of teasing ignorance to her own behaviour. There was silence for a moment as Will thought of how best to phrase his question.

"What do you remember before waking up from the coma?... Do you remember the attack at all? Anything about myself, your life or even Felicia and Hannibal?"

Sera frowned at his words. There hadn't been an attack, not that she knew of at least. It had been a car crash that had landed them in the coma. And of course she remembered Felicia, it was hard not to remember the foul tempered woman that she shared an apartment with, or at least used too. But none of those memories seemed to contain Will or Hannibal. So why was he speaking as if she should have had a life time of memories with him?

"I don't remember ever being attacked, just a regular morning that ended with a lorry ploughing into the side of Felicia's car... Sorry"

Will felt as though a weight had just crushed his heart. He had suspected amnesia by the simple fact that, whilst she seemed to be acting friendly enough, Sera was acting distant towards him, like she had no memory of who he actually was. She would normally have at least sat as close as she could to him, enjoying the calming effect his scent had always had upon her as they spoke of everything that crossed their minds. She was one of the few people he knew that he felt any true happiness with and to have it taken away seemed like the cruellest twist of the knife. To make matters worse, her subconscious seemed to have recreated the events that had lead to the coma. What else had it recreated and would Felicia be under the influence of the same thoughts? 

"It's fine, you're ok and that's what really matters, The doctors warned that the road to a full recovery would be a long one... Though I don't think you should have spoken to Dr. Lector like you did"

The smile that crept along her lips was slow, crooked and mischievous with a slight flash of teeth in the corner of her mouth. Her eyes glistened as she took another sip of her coffee, ignoring the foul taste in favour of planning how to word her reply.

"Oh? Why's that? Is the good doctor a little sensitive behind that stoic mask he wears so well?"

"More than you'd believe"

Will's words were muttered around the polystyrene rim of his own beverage, thankful that Sera seemed oblivious to his own words. He wished he could just remind her, reawaken the memories of her life with himself that seemed repressed within her mind, but the nurse had warned against such actions. Such an abrupt course of action could cause damage to her neurological system and that was something he really wanted to avoid. He sighed, taking a look at his wrist watch before moving his gaze back to the tip of her nose, standing carefully with a sad smile upon his lips as he spoke, hand offered out to help her up onto her own feet in a silent request for even the smallest amount of contact to sooth his need to be close to her.

"I've got to go, I have a lecture in just over an hour... But I'll walk you back to your room. You need all the rest you can get if you want to get better"

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Hannibal frowned as he pulled the door closed behind him, cutting off the view of the young woman within the room as she lay upon the bed. Whilst he was overjoyed that she was out of the coma and aware of his presence once more, he couldn't help but feel that something definitely seemed wrong with her behaviour.

He knew that she had never been an overly affectionate person, choosing to keep her heart far away from her sleeve when dealing with others. She had never taken any pride in her status as an omega or the belief that she needed to be submissive to her chosen alpha's every desire, he had learned rather quickly that there was not a submissive bone in her body unless provoked by her own biology. It had been one of the first things he had taken a liking too about her, the fiery personality and ability to hold her own against others making her stand out where others had failed before in his affections, her behaviour in comparison to other omega's catching his attention upon their first meeting. But even for all her strengths, before the attack, she had still allowed him to care for her when they were alone together, allowed him to hold her close and fulfil his role as her bond mate. Now it was as if a wall had been thrown high around her, blocking him from getting close to her as she spoke warily with him and eyed him with a look of mistrust. It was like he'd been thrown back in time to the first few weeks of his attempting to court her.

It was clear that amnesia had taken a firm hold of her mind when, having tried to speak with her about the attack, she had adamantly insisted that a car accident had been the cause of the coma. He would need to question further about this notion, if her subconscious had recreated the event then what else could it have altered? Could that be the cause for her distance towards him? 

He sighed, feeling tired for the first time in a long time as he began to walk down the corridor and towards the exit, he still had an evening appointment with a patient to attend too and, despite his desire too, he could not cancel now. At least, in the hours after the two women's initial awakening and Felicia's rejection of his presence, he had been able to return home and prepare a simple meal for both before returning. Hell would freeze over before he allowed his mate to eat subpar hospital food that contained god only knew how many artificial components and, as much as the raven haired woman irritated him, the same went for Sera.

"Are you leaving too Dr. Lector? I was just bringing Sera back to the room before heading for my next class"

Will's voice caught his ears as the other man turned the corner, arm holding Sera's arm gently as she pulled along the IV drip. He raised an eyebrow slightly, taking in the slight stiffness of her posture at the alpha's vague touch and the look of uncertainty within her eyes. Clearly Felicia wasn't the only one struggling with even the slightest form of intimacy at this moment in time.

"Yes, I have an appointment that cannot be cancelled. And besides, Felicia does not seem in the mood for company at present"

Sera scoffed as she moved away from Will completely and placed her hand upon the door handle. Of course her friend would be reluctant to speak, she was probably doing her best not to have a fatal heart attack at being in the same room as a cannibalistic serial killer, coma induced dream or not.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll come round eventually. It's all just one giant shock to the system right now"

Sera was about to vanish into the room, eager to return to the only other person she could talk too about everything that seemed to be happening, only to be stopped as Will's gentle voice caught her ears.

"We'll be back tomorrow, the doctors said that you'll both probably still be here for a few more days or a week at most so I'll bring some clothes with me. I know that you never liked the hospital clothing... Just let Felicia know that Hannibal is going to bring some clothing for her as well"

Sera gave a small nod of thanks, unsure of how to react to his kind suggestion or the attempt at a reassuring smile from Hannibal as the door shut behind her when she entered the private room, grinning in amusement at the sight of Felicia, still in the bed. She was upright now, propped up by her pillows as she glared down at the plate in front of her, an expression caught between horror and bewilderment upon her face as she poked the food with a fork.

"Did the big bad cannibal make dinner?"

"Yes. Yes he did. He made it whilst I was rejecting their visits apparently... He made one for you as well"

Her voice seemed weary as she pointed towards the other woman's nightstand, Lector's presence still lingering within her mind and causing a small part of her to yearn for his return. That was the last thing she needed right now, his exotic scent muddling her thoughts when she was trying to think of a way to get them both out of this situation and out of this frightening sub-reality that they had been placed within.

"Well wasn't that nice of him. So what are we having?"

"Liver. Liver with some fancy French name attached to it"

Sera nodded slightly in vague acknowledgement before taking the plate from her side table and settling herself back within her bed, staring at the food for a moment before happily picking up her fork and eating. Felicia felt her stomach give a nauseating flip as she watched the other girl, her expression shifting to full horror.

"The fuck is wrong with you, don't you remember what that is?"

Sera shrugged, humming in approval at the explosion of taste that occurred upon her tongue as she swallowed her mouthful. Sure, it was a human liver but damn, that man knew how to cook.

"Meat is meat and, to be honest, I'm starving. It's like the vegetarians say really: 'all meat is murder'... So we might as well enjoy it. And besides, I'm thinking that we need to play dumb to what the good doctor really is if we want to survive this messed up dream. Just until we either figure out a way of getting home or establish where the boundaries are with both Will and Hannibal"

Felicia groaned as she turned her gaze back down to the plate in front of her, not exactly happy at how logical the other's reasoning seemed to be. It was the safest route at this current point to pretend that they had no clue to Hannibal's true nature, at least until they were able to wake up or be certain that he would not make them into his next meal. She lifted a fork full to her lips, willing herself to imagine it to be anything other than what it was as she took the mouth full, a groan forcing from her throat as her eyes shut at the flavours assaulting her taste buds.

"Damn it, why does he have to make murder taste so good"


	4. Alphas, Omegas, Oh my

The heat was intense, uncomfortable against her skin as she watched the flames from a relatively safe distance, causing a tingling sensation to course across her flesh. She could not move away, did not want to move, eyes transfixed upon the sight before her as she clutched a hand within her own.

She should have felt horrified at their actions, ashamed that either of them could resort to such drastic behaviour. But all she felt was relief washing over her as the roof timbers began to fall and the building began to cave in slowly, a feeling of finally being safe gripping her heart.

"What if someone finds us Felicia?"

"We'll be long gone by then... The only good thing about this place was that it was in the middle of nowhere"

Sera gave a vague nod and squeezed Felicia's hand a little tighter, a small reassurance for both girls until a scream ripped through the flames and captured their ears. Eyes trailing up to the top floor window, the shadow of a man could be seen as he flailed and fought a losing battle against the inferno of his own death. Felicia smiled, slow and menacing as she watched him, allowing Sera to hide her face in her shoulder. He was gone from their lives, along with the memories that the house had held for the two young Omega. It was his fault Felicia could find no joy in her own biology, resenting the idea of any alpha ever becoming her mate. It was his fault that Sera was such a nervous teen and couldn't find her courage anymore.

He was meant to look after them, a foster father until they could go out into the world alone and find their own way. Alpha's were meant to protect Omega's, so why had he subjected them to mood dictated beatings, tortured them with their worst fears and then pretended to be a perfect role model to the rest of the world. Well no more. She'd help Sera find herself again and they'd look after each other, just like they had always done.

"We'll be OK... It'll be hard but anything's better than staying here"

The girls turned, their few possessions flung over their shoulders in rucksacks and hands still clasped together in a silent show of solidarity and joint strength, heading towards the nearest bus stop. The screams continued to dance within Felicia's mind long after they had left the burning house behind and feeding her desire for both she and Sera to become more than just a weak little Omega with nothing to their name. With the death of their foster father, a fate he deserved even if it had been an accident, they would be reborn.

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Felicia snapped up in her bed, the feel of her heart pounding and the perspiration beginning to bead against her forehead as she took in the surroundings of the hospital room, forcing her breathing to regulate. What had she just dreamed of? It had felt so familiar yet completely foreign, like a memory trapped behind a cloud of uncertainty, as a mixture of lingering anger and relief continued to grip her. It had been nothing like the dreams she was so accustomed too, no sign of Hannibal to be found within her dream world, only memories of the teen who shared her name and face yet did not seem even remotely familiar to her.  
"Hey, are you ok? You were moving a lot in your sleep"

Sera was stood beside the bed, concern in her eyes as Felicia swiped a hand across her face. The Sera within her dreams was nothing like the young woman she knew, she had been nervous and fearful of the world around her, nothing akin to the boisterous and confidant woman before her. So why did it feel as though she had seen an important truth, something that held a significance far greater than her addled mind could fully comprehend.

"I'm fine, just a weird nightmare. How did you sleep?"

She pushed the covers of the bed back, casting a quick gaze towards the other girl before staring out of the window. Sera was smiling brightly as she all but skipped around the room, packing the few items of clothing that Will had brought for her before tucking the husky plushie into the top layers of the overnight bag.

"I slept really well, clearly much better than you did. No dreams about Will for a change"

So Sera hadn't had the dream repeated either? Something seemed strange about that, the fact that the dreams that had plagued them for six whole months had suddenly disappeared. Felicia frowned as something clicked in her mind. Six months, the length of time that they had apparently been in the coma, the same length of time that the dreams had been occurring. Could the two be linked in some way? She forced the questions from her mind before they could develop too far. There was no chance that the two held any connection so there was no point thinking about them.

Besides, there was a far greater concern on her mind. Today was their discharge date from the hospital, the day they would be placed into the care of both Will and Hannibal. It was 9:00 AM, they had said they would be arriving at 9:30 AM.

"They'll be here soon. just short of half an hour. Any bright ideas on how to get away before then?"

"We could feign sickness"

Felicia scoffed at the idea, standing and moving toward the window to look at the scenery outside. It was a nice day, clear skies and no other patients wandering around the gardens that could be spying upon the room.

"Nice try, but you're forgetting who we're dealing with here. Dr. Lecter can smell Cancer for Christ sake, I'm pretty certain he could sniff out whether we were actually sick or not. And then you've got Will, a man who gets into the mind of the most horrific serial killers for a living. Even if Hannibal failed to sniff out our lie, Will could see clean through it just by getting into your head... No, we need something a little more drastic here"

Sera's eyes widened as the fair haired woman opened the window, moving to perch herself onto the ledge as she looked out and towards the ground below before assessing the drain pipe beside her, wrapping a hand around the cool metal to test its strength. Sera gave a startled gasp as she moved forward, aiming to pull her friend back from the edge.

"Fliss, I know the idea of living with a cannibal is scary but don't you think suicide is a bit much?"

"Get a grip! I'm desperate, not suicidal. We're on the second floor and there's a drain pipe right next to our window. It won't be too difficult and it's the best I can think of on such short notice"

She took a firm grip on the drain pipe once more, moving to link her right foot behind before carefully swinging herself outward as Sera rushed to watch her descend, jaw slack as her best friend shimmied down. It was usually her that acted reckless whilst Felicia chose to follow logic. This was definitely out of character. But then, faced with living with a cannibalistic serial killer would make anyone act a little differently. Slinging her legs over the side, still watching as Felicia finally reached the ground below, she decided to follow the other's example

"Hey wait up bitch!"

"Wait for what young Sera?"

She felt herself go rigid, turning her face towards the door in an almost robotic style as she met the unimpressed gaze of Hannibal and the concerned gaze of Will before turning back to watch as Felicia met her gaze, a smug grin on her face before walking on. Clearly this was revenge for leaving her to get coffee when they had first woke up. Her words were muttered as she glared at the woman's retreating back.

"Oh you bitch"

"And where, may I ask, has dear Felicia vanished too?"

She bit the inside of her cheek. She knew he was far from being a stupid man, he had seen her about to climb out of the window, noticed the way she had been looking forward rather than at the drain pipe she was aiming to shimmy down. There was no way he couldn't have put two and two together, so clearly he was testing to see whether she was brave enough to lie to his face. 

"Erm... Would you believe me if I said I don't know?"

Hannibal felt his eye twitch slightly at the answer she gave. Of course she would continue to try and rile him up in this situation, annoying him had always been a hobby of hers. Clearly the amnesia hadn't changed that. Will frowned, moving quickly towards Sera as he noticed the gleam within those eyes. The last thing he wanted or needed was for Hannibal to finally snap with her.

"I think it's clear that she's gone down the drain pipe and wandered off, you'd be best looking outside, I doubt she'll get far with how big the grounds are for this place"

It took all Sera's self control not to laugh as Hannibal gave a slight growl of annoyance towards the situation before leaving the room, the door slamming slightly behind him.

"Can we follow him? I get a feeling that this is a show we don't want to miss"

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Felicia groaned as she came to a halt, faced with the same dead end she'd wandered too at least twice now. Fifteen minutes after her initial 'great escape' though the window, she found herself lost within the labyrinth that the hospital claimed as it's grounds.

"I'm starting to think that, whoever designed these gardens, they planned ahead for escape attempts"

"You would be correct. Although, your sense of direction was never the best either"

Like a rabbit caught in the head lights, Felicia froze, the accented voice that sent a spark of heat through her body catching her ears. She forced herself to turn around, only wishing to confirm who was speaking, and came face to face with Hannibal. His jaw set in a vague show of irritation as his eyes glittered dangerously within the otherwise perfect calm of his face.

"Ah bollocks"

"Language chica. You know he doesn't like swearing"

The pair sent a glare towards Sera as she appeared around the corner, giddy grin on her face as Will trailed behind her. Clearly she had tagged along to watch the show as Hannibal returned his attention to the runaway woman before him.

"Would you care to explain Felicia why, not only did you decide to leave your room when you knew we would be with you shortly, you chose to risk your own safety by climbing down the drain pipe, in your pyjamas no less?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly and Sera could have sworn she could feel the dark aura swirling between the two, both sending challenging eyes towards the other as Felicia prepared her reply, with a slight click of her tongue and tilt of her head.

"I was trying to get some fresh air, a bit of alone time, after a poor night's sleep. I took the drain pipe route because I figured that I'd run into you two if I took the ordinary way out of the hospital. Guess I failed miserably in my ambition"

A low growl seeped through from within Hannibal's throat as he drew closer to the fair haired woman, her answer having frayed a small portion of his perfect self control as he allowed a brief spike in his pheromones to reach towards her, delighting in the familiar reaction that she gave. Her pupils were dilating as she began to back away from him, breath coming out in ragged pants as she tried to control the increase in her heart rate. but this was not a reaction of fear, whether she realised it or not, rather her body beginning the process of submitting to its rightful Alpha.

Sera couldn't describe it when she had felt the sudden shift in the air around them, the sudden feeling of true danger and aggression forcing her to hide behind Will as the curly haired alpha simply watched on, a small gleam of concern in his eyes. 

"What is that?"

Her words were stuttered slightly as she watched Lecter advance, predator like, towards her friend. Will gave her a slight glimpse before looking back towards the other two. He had to bear in mind that neither girl had any recollection of their lives or even their own biology due to the amnesia, hopefully Hannibal would remember the same thing before he went too far.

"That is Hannibal reminding Felicia through his instincts as an Alpha that he is the dominant of the two. When an Alpha feels that their Omega has gone too far or behaved poorly, he or she is able to cause a spike in pheromones to act as a warning before any true punishment is required"

Sera felt a lump form in her throat, swallowing down the uneasy feeling as she turned to look back at Felicia again, catching the moment when the other girl's back collided with the dead end wall and slid down as she continued to look up towards Hannibal, his lips pulled back in a feral smirk as his inner beast seeped through slightly.

"You shall take no such risks again Felicia, You may fail to remember but it is my duty to protect you and I will not have you challenging this matter"

For a moment, Hannibal believed he had won this matter as he lowered the pressure he was placing upon the petite woman, stretching his hand out to help her stand once she had brought her breathing back under control. He was wrong it seemed as her eyes narrowed once more and she knocked his hand away, pulling herself up without his aid, a feral sneer of her own upon her lips as she rebuilt her courage once more.

"Whatever you just did, that didn't feel protective. The complete opposite in fact. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get changed"

Felicia didn't even look at Sera as she stormed passed, her face red with embarrassment that she had been made to feel so small and vulnerable by Dr. Lecter. Whatever he had just done to her had made every bone in her body feel like jelly, caused her to feel weak and submissive beneath the sheer power and dominance being directed towards her. It had felt intense as she had fought to hold back a whimper, felt betrayed by her own body as a strange sensation of arousal had begun to burn within.

She wanted to scream, cry and lash out with her fists towards the man that she would soon be at the mercy of. She could only hope that either she or Sera could figure out a solution to get home before anything bad happened. 

Sera frowned as she watched the retreating back of her friend, shifting her gaze briefly to Hannibal as he swiped a weary hand across his face before moving to follow Felicia, seemingly caught deep in thought as Sera took a hold of his arm to catch his attention.

"Look, I'm not sure what you were hoping to achieve with that little display. But that isn't the way to get in her good books... The girl knows how to hold a grudge, trust me"

Hannibal barely managed a nod in acknowledgement before continuing after his enraged mate. Of course he knew his actions had not been the wisest, but he had been caught in a rare moment of anger and acted on instinct. Something he hoped he could rectify sooner rather than later. He knew better than most that Felicia Shepherd could hold a grudge, knew some of the darkest secrets that she seemed to have forgotten. Including the truth behind the fire that had destroyed the foster home she and Sera had been in as teenagers.


	5. Separate ways

The tension in the car was palpable, the woman beside him as he drove sat silent as a mouse whilst her eyes stared blankly at the passing scenery. He wanted to reach a hand out in an attempt to sooth her but knowing that it would do no good, the events at the hospital having rattled her slightly and the separation from her best friend only seeming to have made her mood more forlorn.

"Cheer up, you'll see Felicia soon. The doctors just recommended some time at home to recuperate and get back into your old routine"

Sera scowled at his words. Away from the other girl, she felt no need to keep her sunny disposition or the need to be her usual cheery self. That was something she kept up to equal out and pacify the fiery sarcasm and foul temper of the other woman. But now, on her own with Will, she was pissed. Royally pissed and, honestly, the doctors opinions could go and take a jump off a cliff.

"Old routine? I have no recollection of anything to do with you or with where we're going. My best friend is still at the hospital, getting ready to live with a guy she remembers jack all about beyond his profession and his dislike for poor manners. Which, by the way, is going to end badly after the fact that he made her feel threatened. She's rude, randomly violent and sarcastic when made to feel cornered and we've gone and left her alone with a man who can't stand any of those traits in a person"

She turned to face Will, eyes blazing and fists clenching with anger as the man stared in surprise at her, before finishing what she wanted to say.

"So excuse me if I'm not exactly happy at the moment... Now if you'll please just pay attention to the road and leave me alone for the rest of the journey, that would be fabulous. From what I remember, it was a car accident that landed me in this mess and I really don't want to relive the event"

Will snapped his face forward, his mind reeling with the bluntness of her words. He'd forgotten how sharp her own tongue could be when removed from the influence of Felicia, the blond usually assuming the role of, as Sera had once called her, 'queen bitch' and allowing the raven haired woman to be more jovial and teasing.

His instincts as an Alpha called for him to give some sort of reprimand, take control of the situation and reassert his dominance over the Omega that challenged him all too freely. But his heart spoke different, reminded him of the situation and made him see that it was nothing personal, not really, that made her speak so bluntly. She was scared, no memories of her life to fall back on and thrown head first into an ocean of mistrust and frustration. Taken from the only other person she remembered and could relate too, he knew Sera would feel defensive. He could only hope that returning to the home they shared would awaken some small form of recollection and begin the slow process of remembrance.

"I promise, nothing bad will happen to Felicia whilst she's with Dr. Lecter"  
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Deep breath in. Deep breath out. She could do this she told herself, had no reason to fear exiting the bathroom and leaving the safety of the hospital. Her eyes were glued on the mirror in front of her, scrutinizing the image she made. On the outside, she seemed to the world completely calm and collected, like nothing could faze her or crack the marble mask of her face. On the inside, however, she was an utter wreck of panic and questions.

She scowled, wanting to punch something, anything, to remove the tension and frustration she was feeling towards everything in that moment. Who in their right mind would willingly walk into the clutches of a person they knew to be a serial killer, a cannibalistic one at that.

'You would. You're hardly one to back down or cower'

The voice in her head was teasing, sounded all too much like her jovial best friend for her liking, as she made a good point in the argument she was having with herself, she couldn't remember the last time she had backed down from even the smallest challenge, like her very being rebelled completely against the idea of anyone getting the better of her. She just couldn't back down, so why should this be different?

"All I have to do is behave... Keep calm and don't let myself get riled up. Easy"

'Suuuurreeee... Says the woman who'd fight with thin air if it blew the wrong way'

She dropped her head in exasperation. It was never a good sign if the voices could actually hold a valid point in an argument. A light tapping upon the bathroom door broke her free from the taunting of her own mind, reminding her of just who was waiting outside for her.

"Felicia, you have been in there for approximately twenty minutes. I am beginning to believe you are stalling on our departure"

Her fists balled up as she fought to hold back the urge to reply, to shout 'No shit Sherlock' at the man. She had to behave, it was the only way she'd survive until she could see Sera again. With a heavy sigh, she moved towards the door and pulled it open, eyes locking with Hannibal's as he sent that same, barely-there, smile towards her that made her heart begin to race and a vague blush come to her cheeks.

Hannibal had been sat on the edge of the bed when the door had been pushed open, his eyes moving from the screen of his I-pad as he cancelled appointments and meeting the gaze of Felicia. His pulse gave a slight jump as a hint of a smile teased upon his lips, eyes darting quickly and un-noticed as he drank in the sight she made now that she was dressed and ready to leave. The subtle swell of her hips and breasts were defined beautifully by the figure hugging turtleneck dress, it's royal blue shading matching with her sapphire eyes and enhancing the features as they glistened with the fire of her soul, the pale gold of her hair falling free in soft waves that he wished to run his fingers through as felt her pressed against his body.

That, however, would need to wait as he noticed the cold gaze she was fixing upon him, lifting himself from the edge of the bed and moving to grab the overnight bag before turning back to the woman before him. He could see the conflict within her eyes, the warring emotions of her natural desire to fight against him and the small lingering desire for self preservation as she watched his every move with ice in her eyes.

"Are you ready to leave dearest?"

Amusement spiked through him as he saw the slight twitch of her eye, registered the clench of her fist as she tried to keep control of herself. She was so raw in her emotions in that moment, something he had not seen from her before. Always so in control of herself to hide the secrets of her countless crimes, the crimes committed by both she and young Sera. But for now his precious ice queen was without her mask until the day she remembered her truth and he would enjoy this whilst he could.

"Do I really have a choice Hannibal?"

"There is always a choice dearest. But, where there is choice, there is always someone who will go against your decisions... Now let us leave"

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The car pulled up slowly outside the house, the remainder of the afternoon sun shining down weakly as Will turned off the engine and got out of the driver's seat, moving towards the passenger door. He'd intended to do the gentlemanly thing of opening the door for her, offering his hand perhaps to help her from the seat, only to have the door flung open and nearly catch his leg as she pulled herself free of the car with a look of irritation on her face as she caught his eyes for a split second before breaking the contact.

"I don't need your help to get out dumbass."

He pinched the bridge of his nose as she stormed towards the front door. The car journey had been difficult, filled with silent tension after her outburst at him and the raging emotions that surrounded her attacking his own senses like a brick to the face. He had felt nothing but stress, panic and nervousness rolling from her the entire time and even his attempts to sooth her with the remains of their bond had failed miserably, his scent and pheromones doing nothing but making her panic further as they sat in silence.

He had to wonder whether Hannibal was having the same miserable success rate with his own mate. Sera may have been giving him the cold shoulder but it had to be better than what Felicia must have been like. The woman had a nasty habit for revenge when angered.

Sera hid her frown as the empath gave a weary sigh and followed her towards the door. She knew he hadn't done anything to deserve the attitude she was sending his way, knew he was trying his best to make her feel better and more at ease and it made her feel slightly guilty for treating him so badly. She was just stressed, confused about what she was meant to do without Felicia there to talk too about what was happening and worried to death about whether the other girl would actually survive the week with Lecter.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't be taking everything out on you, it's not your fault that any of this happened"

Will smiled slightly as he turned to look at her, feigning eye contact once more as he allowed a small portion of his pheromones to reach out towards her and sooth her mind slightly, happy to see some small amount of tension leave her shoulders .

"I know it's hard right now, but it will get easier and your memories will come back eventually if you just give it time... You don't remember me yet, not really, but I'm here for you and I hope I always will be"

Sera blinked at his words, her heart swelling slightly at the honesty he was speaking to her with. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel that this man was real in front of her. The man she had dreamt of for six months, longed to have for herself, was right in front of her and yet she couldn't bring herself to reach for him. But a part of her mind begged for her to do so, the part of her mind that seemed to sing with joy at the sheer sight of him and the part of her mind that seemed to hold all her memories locked tight within a chest that she didn't hold the key for. She only knew for certain that his words and his scent made her feel safe, comforted and more at peace. It was strange, but nice.

"Thanks... I think I needed to hear that"

She bit her lip as a sudden wave of shyness hit her, something she rarely felt but couldn't suppress at the sight of Will's gentle smile becoming slightly warmer with her words as he placed the key in the door, hearing the latch unlock as she had to fight the urge to move just a little closer to him.

The moment was ruined however as the door was pushed open and the pair were ambushed by Will's pack of strays, knocking Sera flat on her back against the wooden flooring of the porch as each dog, tails wagging vigorously in excitement, greeted her with a happy yap and a nuzzle to the face or hand as she laughed, pulling herself into a sitting so she could fuss them properly.

"Hey guys, you seem happy to see me"

She was still grinning as Will reached his hand out to help her back up, feeling a warmth spread through his as she accepted the offer without a second thought. Maybe things would be ok, maybe it wouldn't take as long as he had feared for her to get her memory back. There was nothing he wanted more than to have his vibrant flame back to normal and burning bright once more.

"They missed you almost as much as I did"

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She sighed, eyes staring out at the world as the car drove through the streets of Baltimore, the sound of Vivaldi's Winter playing softly from the stereo. The entire car journey had been like this, neither she or Hannibal attempting to make conversation, though she suspected his silence was due to the almost glacial atmosphere that shrouded her. She was not in the mood to talk to him, not now that she was trapped in a moving vehicle with him and still intent on the attempt to behave herself in order to survive, and that meant keeping silent. She'd always had a bad habit of speaking without thinking.

She could feel his gaze upon her every so often, when the lights were on red and he could spare a glance away from the road or when the panic would spike in her heart and a fresh wave of her Omega scent would hit him and his knuckles would turn white as he gripped the steering wheel.

The scent of winter made his blood burn hot in his veins as she failed to realise what she was doing to him. He would have to teach her to regain control he thought as he indulged in the combination of Phlox and Winter Jasmine, the crisp but vague scent of fresh fallen snow mixing with the floral fragrance and adding a clean, almost tranquil effect to the aroma. She sang of pure winter, a personality as cold as ice under most situations, like a blizzard that kept most away, but beautiful and dazzling when seen in rare moments of peace by those brave enough to get close enough. Mixed with the pale perfection of her flesh, the equally pale gold of her hair and the deep blue shading of her eyes, it was little wonder that Sera had nicknamed her the ice queen.

"How long until we reach your house?"

She was still refusing to meet his eye, a tactic she had used many times before in their early days together to refrain from any behaviour that he would view as undesirable. She may have had a sharp tongue, but her survival instincts had always been equally as sharp. Unfortunately, that wasn't what he wanted right now, he wanted her to fight against him and to snap back with ice in her eyes. It was the only thing he knew that would prove the woman he loved was still there.

"We will be there soon my love"

He saw the way her hand twitched against her lap, the slight narrowing of her eyes at the endearment, but also the blush that said it was not entirely unwelcome. She was fighting not only himself, but her natural urge to accept him. He smirked slightly, knowing that he had already won this challenge.

"I believe that I owe you an apology, dearest. It was wrong of me to force my pheromones upon you back at the hospital grounds. I would hope that you will not hold it against me that I allowed my instincts to take over in a moment of foolishness"

Her hands clenched together, head snapping back to face him finally. She had been willing to forget that the incident had happened, will to let it go and not let it rattle her cage. Well to hell with him if he was going to be the one to bring it up.

"Quite frankly Dr. Lecter, your apology means rock all to me right now"

The words had left her mouth before she had time to stop them, the sudden appearance of her temper taking over before leaving her to regret it as she bit the inside of her cheek and sent a mental tirade of abuse towards herself, eyes focused anywhere but at Lecter and the voice of Sera still stuck in her head not doing anything to help.

'So much for behaving yourself... You couldn't even keep it up for a day'

She dared a glance back at the man, feeling her heart skip a beat at the amused and triumphant gleam within those sanguine eyes before he returned to watching the road ahead once more. She felt her blood boiling once more as a realisation hit her. He had done it on purpose, she had forgotten that this man seemed to know her personally and he had used the knowledge of her motor mouth and foul temper to get a reaction from her.

She sniffed in irritation, hearing the low chuckle of the man as he enjoyed his victory. Two could play at that game she thought. If he was going to play dirty tricks on her, then she would do the same. It clearly wasn't good behaviour he wanted from her at the moment, so why not have fun with the good doctor and get a little revenge for his actions towards her so far? If she remembered correctly, she could easily use his OCD to play her own games with him.


	6. In the name of revenge

The room is immaculate, precise in its design and intended to both entice and intimidate with its combination of rich blues, intricate patterns of swirling greys and dark hard wood furniture. He had shown her around the house, his intentions a hopeful attempt at 'refreshing' her memories of times they had spent together. But her mind had been elsewhere the entire time, barely registering the coaxing encouragement to look deeper than merely seeing and managing only to gain vague sighs of exasperation whenever she simply nodded at his words. Occasionally there would be the ghost of faces, voices as they spoke in distorted sentences when ever her mind slipped and she found herself following his simple request to observe, but they mattered little to her in that moment. She had far greater things on her mind, plotting revenge for his actions at the hospital and trickery during the car journey.

Now, she sat within the dining room, Hannibal sat at the head of the table whilst she sat too his immediate left. Her eyes were mapping the room, drinking in and registering the information that she needed to carry out her plan. It would be difficult, awkward even, as he seemed to have screwed down any piece of furniture that her smaller frame could manage to budge. She would need to suss out where he kept his screwdrivers. If he had any that was. If not, then she would think of something else.

"You seem distracted dearest. Is my cooking not to your taste or is there something on your mind that you wish to discuss?"

Felicia snapped from her scheming to look towards him, face set like marble and completely unreadable as she processed his question, he had a glint in his eye that made a shiver run through her spine, playful yet menacing, something that sent a bubbling of excitement as memories of arousal flashed through her mind. There were two problems with such questions: Firstly, of course his cooking was not to her taste, it was human and, therefore, wrong on more levels than she cared to count. Not that she'd bring it up, not until she knew exactly where she stood with the man and whether she'd end up as dinner also if she let her knowledge be known. Secondly, there was no chance in either heaven or hell that she'd disclose her thoughts to him. That would spoil the fun and lay waste to the time she had spent planning and thoroughly mapping it out.

So what better than to lie and play along with his little memory game?

"You're cooking is wonderful and you know it is... It is more that I find myself caught between distorted memories, disembodied voices speaking conversations that I feel I have once held within these walls. But they make no sense and hold no perfect pattern... In short, I feel like I've fallen out of the sanity tree head first"

Hannibal smirked slightly, taking a gentle sip of his wine, allowing the deep bodied flavour to caress his taste buds before sending her an amused look. So his tour of the house had worked in some small way it seemed, it could only be a matter of time now before her mind began to unravel and re-stitch together the events of her life before. He just needed to give some minor encouragement into the right direction.

"If you allow yourself to truly focus dearest, you may recall that you were required to be psychoanalysed when you first entered your profession... It is only fortunate that it was myself who did the test and was able to pass you on the results, otherwise I doubt they would have let you leave the office"

Her face scrunched up slightly in confusion as a picture embedded itself firmly within her minds-eye. The image of her sat opposite the good doctor as they both sent psychological shots towards each other, a strange battle between the two of them. She remembered that much about herself, she had been a psychiatrist before this strange reality, having to make sure Sera didn't steal any of her case studies. So why would it be any different here?

"I'm a psychiatrist here too?"

"You 'were' a psychiatrist my love"

Felicia felt her eye twitch and pulse skip at the endearment once more, sending him yet another frozen glare as her knuckles turned white around the cutlery she clutched. What the hell did he mean?

"Were? Please do elaborate on that... Dearest"

Placing his own cutlery down gently, he met her gaze as he folded his hands beneath his chin, choosing to ignore the blatant venom she used as she spat the endearment. Perhaps riling her up was not the kindest move he could make, but it seemed the easiest way to access her emotions. He wanted her livid, vibrant and alive, just like the woman he knew her to be. The smile that graced his lips was slow, calculated and seemed to scream 'you won't like this' as she gritted her teeth and tried to push down the anger that was bubbling back up, this was not what she had planned when she had promised herself to behave.

"I said: Elaborate"

"Omega's are unpermitted to work once they are mated too an Alpha. It is only through your own sheer determination that you were able to become a psychiatrist in the first place, through the use of heat suppressants and scent altering perfumes, before meeting myself... The only careers that actually permit Omega are within the serving and hospitality industries. On rare occasions, they can even become mid-wives"

With each word that passed his lips, Felicia could feel the shroud of rage encompassing her mind further, a menacing and dangerous voice within her mind beginning to gnash it's teeth and snarl to be released, before finally snapping. Her fists slammed down onto the table as she threw herself up onto her feet, eyes glassy as she snarled at the man, failing to register the victorious gleam within his eyes once more as, for a brief moment, the ghost of his own Felicia emerged upon her face and reminded him that he was not the only danger that sat within the room before fading back to the recesses of her mind.

"Are you trying to tell me that I am not ALLOWED to work in the profession I busted my ass for?"

"In short my dear, yes"

A distorted scream of rage, horror and sheer frustration ripped from her throat as she threw herself bodily away from the table and sent her chair flying backwards before storming towards the dining room door, eyes deranged as she turned back towards Hannibal, barely registering the vague look of mutual irritation upon his own face. Fuck him if he thought he could berate her and not get the brunt of her temper.

"I am not a fucking housewife! You can go burn in the seven circles of hell if you think I'm cleaning your kitchen and acting like your unpaid maid because I 'don't have a choice'! Now if you don't mind, I am going to bed!"

She stormed towards the stairs, hearing Hannibal's own chair move as he made to follow her. She may have been a little more derogatory with her outburst than she should have been but she found she could genuinely not have cared any less. She would be much happier once he was asleep and she could unleash her true revenge upon him.

"Felicia! You will come back here now!"

"Bite me, you asshole!"

She went into the closest room she could find, grateful that it was actually a guest bedroom, locking the door and throwing herself upon the bedding with another scream of frustration at the man who stood on the other side of the locked door. There was a vague gnawing within her gut as she waited for the hours to tick by, hearing the man retreat from the door and move back downstairs, an overpowering scent of sheer dominance, rage and arousal seeping through the gap of the door and infiltrate her senses, causing a weak whimper to break past her lips as she curled in on herself slightly against the soft sheets. She got the feeling she was playing a very dangerous game with the wrong person. 

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He paced around his study, body almost predatory as he fought to regain control of the beast that she had unleashed within him. He had the right mind to force his way into the room his young mate had barricaded herself within and lay out punishment for the behaviour she had dared to display towards him. He had wanted her to fight back, but not to the extent she had done.

Before the coma, she had always saved such behaviour for when she wanted his darker side to take over, wanted him to hunt her down throughout the house and claim her in a mesh of sharp teeth and punishing thrusts, his hidden beast claiming and marking what was his before falling victim to sleep in whatever part of the house he had cornered her in. She had always been feisty, vicious behind the mask she wore and he had basked in it whenever she had let it slip. Unlike any Omega he had met before, she was wild and untamed, unwilling to simply relinquish the control she had over herself and her life. She had never wanted a mate before meeting him and had fought against his advances till the bitter end before finally accepting him. 

But now, those words were genuinely meant to offend him, to fight against him and what he now stood for in her life. The one who held her prisoner, kept her chained with concepts she had no memory of. He could not allow himself to fall weak to his own desires, not until he knew she would not shun him for it.

Her outburst had enraged him, reminded him of times before and caused his blood to burn hot with the need to reclaim, mate and bind her to him completely once more, to gain her submission in the most primal of ways. He could feel his cock swell as he allowed himself to fall back into the luxurious wingback armchair behind him, the light of the fire before him lighting his features as a slender, talented hand traced the outline of the appendage through the fabric of his trousers before lowering the zipper and freeing the heavy organ from within, wrapping his strong hand around the base and giving a determined stroke and twist to the head.

His eyes fell shut, the feel of his hand running along his erection causing a low growl of arousal to leave his throat. He imagined her, once more within the dining room as she knelt before him, his chair pushed back slightly to allow her space between his thighs, that wicked, talented mouth that had spoken with venom now wrapped around his swollen shaft and looking up at him through her lashes. Her cheeks were flushed as she took him in deeper and moaned as he carded his fingers through her hair, taking a firm grasp before forcing himself further within. She choked so beautifully around his cock as tears filled her eyes and she begged him silently with her eyes to let her breath easier.

"You were very rude Felicia... What is to be done about that?"

In his fantasy, as his hand speeds up along his arousal and he feels the coil of arousal begin to tighten within his abdomen, he has her bent over the dark wood of the dining table. A perfect contrast to the pale shade of her skin as he exposes her to him and thrusts himself deep within, revelling in the startled cry of mixed pleasure and pain she gives at the sudden intrusion of her body as he begins a brutal pace intended to punish and remind her that she belongs to him and bring her back into submission beneath him.

But she has never been submissive she reminds him as she thrusts back onto him, taking her own pleasure as they both feel his knot begin to stretch with his impending orgasm. She looks over her shoulder too him, eyes burning with all the passion she holds as she moans and calls his name like a mantra. She is his vixen, the only one he knows is truly brave enough to fight against him and able to withstand the monster he hides within his human suit. She is a monster herself, a devil hidden behind the mask of an angel.

The thought is all it took to finish him as, with a low groan, he released into his own hand before taking a few tissues from the box beside him, wiping his fingers clean and tucking himself away once more with a satisfied smile upon his lips. He was back under control of himself now, the Chesapeake ripper hidden carefully once more behind the charade that was Hannibal Lecter and his desire to mark and own her quelled for now.

But he had a fresh goal within his mind now. He may not be able to simply take her like he desires too, but he can build up too it and remind her of the love she felt for him, still feels for him deep within her frozen heart. It will just take time and planning. He will court her again, but not like the first time. He will court her like the gentleman he portrays himself to be rather than the murderer he truly is until she remembers and embraces their shared madness.

 

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3AM. The house was silent as Felicia moved through the halls of the house. She had long since heard the tell-tale shutting of a door across the landing that signalled Hannibal's own retirement to sleep but had chosen to wait until she could be certain he was sleeping. She had little time to carry out her plan, the knowledge that he is an early riser causing her to move more swiftly, petite form darting towards the kitchen with agility she couldn't quite believe was her own.

She felt she had done this before as she carefully shuffles through the contents of each drawer in search of a screwdriver. The feeling that there is a reason that the furniture has been secured in place, a reason that includes herself quite prominently, sends a shot of pride through her heart, but she can't quite place why.

'You won't find a screwdriver in this house... Hannibal has made sure of that after the last time'

The voice within her mind is definitely her own this time, but it's cold and menacing as it chuckles at her efforts, knows more than it lets on. For a moment, she sees herself in her minds-eye and is filled with a feeling of fear. Murderer echoes through her mind as the vision faded and she halts her hunt for the tool. The fear goes quickly, leaving something warm within her chest, as if she has wanted to see that woman, her true self, for so long.

'Use a knife... he won't expect it and we need to punish him. He has forgotten who he is dealing with'

Felicia listened to the voice gladly, listened to the darkness of her own soul as she pulled a selection of knives from their place, from simple cutlery to a sharp looking paring knife. She was determined to finish what she had started as she moved towards his study with the same agility as before. She felt as though she was beginning to meld with the memory of the other woman, accepting the dark and all consuming rage that she consists of. It made her feel whole again after so long of feeling like only half a person.

It was a worrying concept when it dawned on her. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so complete, like she no longer had a missing piece. She only knew that it was before six months ago that she had not felt broken, but she couldn't fully picture it.

'The memories will come in time... You will find me again and we will be whole once more... For now, just trust that Hannibal will not hurt you no matter how far you push him... Before all of this, he took care of you so well'

With that, the dark presence within was gone and she was alone as she began to test each knife on the screws that held down his desk, blunting the paring knife before discovering that the cutlery knife was actually best suited to her task. She didn't care. It just added to her revenge for his behaviour, blunting one of his precious knives was a small victory but would add to the effect she wanted.

She repeated the process on several other pieces of furniture, pushing each one an inch to the left or right before finally deciding that she has done enough on this aspect. His OCD for everything to be perfectly in place and ordered just to his taste would pick up on the changes as soon as he walks in and she can't wait for the result, as dangerous as it may be.

But she still felt that it wasn't enough, that there was still something missing as her eyes landed upon the abandoned I-pad upon his desk. A menacing smile graced her lips as she took a quick glance towards the clock. 4:30AM, she still had a little over an hour as she picked the tablet up and clicked the power button on, faced with a password barrier.

'Mischa'

That voice again, gone as quickly as it came with an answer as she typed in the name. Her heart constricted sharply as she put in the correct code, the name of his late sister. She did feel guilty for a split moment before rebuilding her resolve once more. She was good with technology, always had been she thought as she downloaded the app she needed and began to scroll through the playlist that comprised completely of aria's, opera and instrumental classics. How expected. She was going to have fun with this one.

It was little over 5AM when she finally finished her task and put the knives away in their separate places. She felt anticipation, even excitement chewing at her insides as she crept back to her room and locked the door with a subtle click. He would be up soon, and then she would see just how far she could push before she broke his mask, all in the name of revenge.


	7. Children of Ice and Fire

"What if they don't like me?"

the small Omega's eyes were brimming over with tears as she looked up towards the woman beside her, a kind smile upon the lightly wrinkled face as she did her best to be reassuring. She was scared and nervous, small hands clutching her teddy as she huddled into the side of the older woman, staring at the house before them with panic in her eyes. She may have been only seven but she knew what was going on, it was hard not to. The family that had once cherished her, the mother and father that had once doted upon her were gone, lost to a car crash after their anniversary outing as their only child had slept at home with a babysitter. She was alone, with no other family to take her in, and left to hope for the best as social services placed her under the care of a foster family.

"They will love you little one, don't worry. Mr Dunhill is a very nice Alpha and already has another foster child under his care, an Omega just like you... She's a year older than you and she doesn't speak much, but I know that you'll be fine"

She felt a little reassured at the kind words of Mrs. Wilks, watching as the elderly Beta knocked gently upon the front door of the house. She could hear footsteps within before the door opened carefully, her eyes widening slightly as a man came into view, her mind muttering 'Alpha' as she took in the sight of his broad frame, large hands and dark brown eyes slightly covered by a mop of dirty blond hair. Something about him put her on edge, but as he smiled at her and knelt down to her level, she guessed that it might have just been her nerves still.

"Good to see you Mrs. Wilks, I see you brought the newest member of my little family"

His voice was hoarse slightly and his breath was tainted slightly with the scent of stale cigarettes, but she ignored it in favour of looking past him as the man, she guessed that he must have been Mr. Dunhill, continues to talk facts with the social worker. There was someone stood in the shadows, a little taller than herself but not much, the other foster child? She could just make out the features of a ghostly pale face, a stone mask of nothingness as their eyes met and held each other. A chill ran through her at the coldness within those eyes, like she was staring into the heart of winter and being frozen. But she didn't feel afraid, something told her that there was nothing to fear about this girl, that behind the ice within those eyes, there was a person she could become friends with.

"So, What's your name little one?"

Her attention was snapped back to the Alpha, a gentle smile on his face as he tried to coax out information she knew he already had, he was just playing dumb to make her feel more comfortable. She'd play his game if it meant he'd introduce the girl hidden in the shadows, she was the one she was more interested in.

"Sera Wright"

"That's a pretty name. Well, my name is Charles Dunhill and this..."

He turned slightly to look towards the girl in the shadows, and for a minute Sera could have sworn a nasty gleam replaced the friendly sparkle in his eyes, beckoning the girl forward.

"And this is Felicia Shepherd. She'll be like your older sister from now on"

The thought was nice, she's never had an older sibling, but as she looked into Felicia's eyes, the girl stepping out of the shadows to reveal pale blond hair and deep blue eyes that sat upon her snow pale face like sapphires, the image of Omegan perfection, she could see only pain and sorrow. Why? Wasn't she meant to be happy? Why wasn't she making any effort to talk or stretch out the hand that clutched around her left arm? She was being so unfriendly.

Sera was going to change that. She didn't know why, but she liked Felicia for some reason. Something about the glacial atmosphere around her made Sera feel at ease, feel that the blizzard within the other girls heart could keep her safe. Felicia may not have liked her yet, but the younger girl was going to make sure that changed. If she was made of ice, then Sera would become the fire to melt her.

Felicia only frowned more as the little girl smiled warmly up at her before turning away and moving up the stairs towards her room, doing her best to hide the limp of her barely healed ankle and the grotesque bruise that marred her pale arm. She was only grateful that the jumper covered her back to hide the other injuries. Why had they needed to bring another child into the horror that was the Dunhill house? Couldn't they sense the danger that surrounded the man that now took another child into his care?

She didn't have the energy to protect another child as well as herself from the Alpha, not when he enjoyed beatings as frequently as he did.

~ Six months later ~

For any young child, six months is a long time and for Sera, time had never passed so slowly. It wasn't that she was struggling to settle in, far from it, she had made friends in her new school and had been doing well in her classes, she had begun to adjust well to her new home and found that she liked the secluded area with its nearby forest.

No, it wasn't a matter of school or her new home life. The problem was the other omega that resided within the walls of that house. The social worker hadn't been lying when she said Felicia rarely spoke, in fact she rarely ever came out of her room except for school or meal times. The immaculate mask of stone that she wore made it even harder to get to know the fair haired girl, Sera could never tell whether she was happy, sad, amused or angry. It was like staring at a statue. 

But that wasn't to say that Sera hadn't learned anything about her 'sister'. She had, but only when the other thought she was completely alone. Each night, she could hear singing, a soft voice sometimes broken by strange thumping noises and groans of pain that Sera couldn't quite understand. When her voice was uninterrupted, she liked to just sit and listen to the emotions that came out in those few moments, wondering if she could convince the other to come and sit with her sometime and simply sing for her. 

It also wasn't to say that she had given up in her efforts to get the other to become her friend, far from it. If there was one thing Sera knew about herself, it was that she didn't give up that easily. She had started subtly, sitting next to the older Omega at meal time and offering smiles as often as possible. It hadn't worked, Felicia would simply ignore the smiles and retreat to her room as soon as she could.

So she moved on to bolder approaches instead. They attended the same school, so recess was a perfect time to get the other girl when she had nowhere to escape too. It was a lot blunter but perhaps that was what was needed.

"Felicia? Why don't you talk to anyone at school?"

She must have been sitting under the tree for five solid minutes of silence, the blond reading a book and completely ignoring her presence. Or doing her best to try, but it was hard with a persistent seven year old following her every where she went. Felicia just wanted to be alone, just like she had always been before Sera came into her life. Why couldn't the little Omega be like everyone else? Her parents had abandoned her, the other children at school never tried to befriend her and Mr. Dunhill hated her with a passion. So why change her lonely life now? Why did Sera have to be different?

Sera frowned as, once again, no reply came. It was disheartening. She had tried and tried, but she couldn't even get a smile out of the other girl. And, maybe, that was all she wanted. A smile to prove that there was still a heart inside this human statue, someone who could be brought into the light and shown that everything didn't have to be seen through frozen eyes. She gave a huff and turned to look completely at Felicia as she began to speak sadly.

"It's OK if you don't want to talk to me... I guess I just like being with you. I never had a big sister before... But you always seem so sad and it makes me sad too... I just want to see you smile so I know you're OK... I'm sorry if I've been bugging you"

For the first time in almost three years, Felicia felt genuine surprise. No one had ever cared about her, and the truth in the little girls voice was almost difficult to register. She felt a pang of guilt hit her, a foreign feeling, as she thought of how cold she had been. Sera was different to others she had known, so maybe that meant she could allow herself the simple indulgence of finally having a friend. Her lip quirked upwards slightly and she saw the light burn within Sera's dark eyes as joy surged across her young face.

"Well, well. Look who finally made a friend. Looks like the freak isn't alone now"

Felicia felt her fists tighten slightly at the voice. Mitchell Prince. Whilst everyone else tended to avoid her like the plague, the young Alpha seemed to take delight in teasing and goading the Omega, hoping for a reaction. His 'friends' often just watched from the side-lines, cheering their leader on in his bullying, but never got involved, they were more pressured by their own family to play with him because his own parents had influence in their town. Felicia really couldn't have cared less for his status or for his little group of cling-on's.

"Leave her alone! She's not a freak, she's my sister"

Sera's voice was filled with stubborn anger, her dark eyes shining with frustration towards the boy as he laughed openly at her attempt to defend the other. She just wanted to show Felicia that she had a friend, that she didn't have to be lonely anymore, but the older boy grabbed a chunk of her raven hair and pulled harsh, giving a cruel smile as she began to cry in pain and attempt to get away.

"Stupid little Omega's, you'll never be better than an Alpha. But I guess freaks attract freaks"

Sera gave another sharp sob as he tugged her hair again, eyes blurring with tears as his little gang of other Alpha's and Beta's began to join in the laughter. Why were they all being so mean? What was so wrong about herself or Felicia? 

She couldn't quite be certain when it all changed, when the hand in her hair suddenly vanished or when her own sobs subsided to give way to a thud as bodies hit the ground and a voice began snarling with venom. Sera looked towards the voice, eyes widening through her remaining tears at the sight of Felicia pinning the boy down with deceptively strong arms as a crazed look entered her eyes.

"You leave her alone! I kill you if you touch her again, just see if I don't!"

As if to add strength to her threat, her fist ploughed into his face, hard enough that he would definitely have a black eye from the run in. Sera watched in shock as Felicia got off the boy and he all but ran away with his groupies in tow. They wouldn't be back any time soon, and Sera doubted they'd hear anything about the incident beyond this, no Alpha wanted to admit to being beaten up by an Omega. What truly shocked Sera was the wrath that Felicia had displayed, how the soft and very Omegan voice had dripped with venom as she had spoken. The girl was definitely an Omega, there was no doubt when that scent clung to the blond like a shroud of ice, but in that moment she had seemed every bit an Alpha.

Felicia sighed as she watched the boy run. Stupid coward wouldn't dare snitch, too ashamed of his own weakness to tell anyone else what had happened. It had felt good to hit him, to threaten him, helped her get some of the rage out of her system. But most of all, it would show Sera just what she was getting herself into if she really did want to be friends. Prove whether she would actually stay now she saw what Felicia hid beneath her mask.

She made her way back over to Sera, eyes shining with the pain she really felt inside and the hopes that she hadn't scared the other off. Her voice was strong and soothing as she knelt down to the younger Omega's level and allowed and slight smile, almost like a smirk, to grace her lips as she spoke.

"Thank you... But you don't have to fight my battles for me. Fighting is all I know... But maybe I can help to fight yours too"

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Sera's eyes snapped open as a hand shot towards her scalp, rubbing gingerly at the ghostly feeling of where the boy had pulled her hair in the dream. She could feel the tingling at the roots, like an old wound unsettled by a memory. It was strange, it had all seemed so familiar. The memory of how Felicia had once looked as a child, the memory of herself and the events that had brought them together, it all fit perfectly within her mind like a jigsaw puzzle slowly being pieced back together.

She had been in care as child, and during those years had been when she had met Felicia. Her sister through circumstance. Whilst, although she couldn't fathom why, she could not fully remember beyond the past six months, these few facts were certain in her mind. The dream was not her subconscious manifestation, but rather the awakening of a truth.

"But why have they only started happening since we came here?"

She was snapped from her troubling musings by a sound from downstairs, footsteps as she looked around the room and realised where she was. She was in Will's room, in his bed and wearing one of his shirts and a pair of boxers as sleepwear. He'd offered to sleep on the sofa so that she could have her space during the night. A blush crossed her cheeks at the thought of the kind gesture.

"Guess I plumped lucky and got the actual gentlemen in this giant fuck up"

"Sera, are you awake? I made breakfast"

Will's voice drifted through the closed door as his hand tapped gently against the surface. Sera couldn't help but smile at his words. She'd definitely gotten the better end of this deal. Whilst Felicia was stuck with Hannibal the cannibal and his flamboyant, slightly insane, personality, she had struck gold with a man who gave her the space she needed and woke her up with breakfast. 

"Dear diary... Jackpot"

She slipped out of the bed and padded across towards the door, shivering involuntarily at the cold floor against her bare feet. She'd never really liked the cold, that had always been Felicia's preference. She braced herself as she opened the door, not quite knowing what to expect as Will came into view, already dressed in a pair of jeans and one of the flannel shirts that she knew he always seemed to wear. It was casual and suited him well. Although bed head and a weary look in his eyes from a poor night sleep didn't suit him quite as well.

"Thanks, you didn't have too"

"I wanted too... I always used to make you French toast before the coma"

Will gave a soft chuckle as her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she finally caught the scent that was drifting up from the kitchen. He knew her favourite breakfast meal? This whole mess was starting to look pretty damn good.

She was in the kitchen before Will had even reached the bottom of the stairs, no desire to waste time in reaching her breakfast. She couldn't suppress the grin that formed around her first slice of toast as Will entered the room, his own smile seeming to make her heart flutter with joy and affection. She liked Will, she knew she did, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get to know him and enjoy his company for as long as this strange fantasy lasted.

"Sorry you had to sleep on the sofa by the way. I'll sleep there tonight if you want, it's only fair"

"No please, I want you to feel comfortable... Besides, the sofa really isn't that bad, it's just the nightmares"

For a moment Will looked like he wanted to bite his own tongue off for letting those words slip. She didn't need to be reminded of his nightmares just yet, she was going through enough without having his problems relayed to her as well.

Sera frowned as she took the final bite of her breakfast and swallowed it down. The fact of his nightmares had completely slipped her mind and she felt a pang of guilt over this as he did everything he could to avoid her eyes.

"Are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help stop them?"

"Just... Just be yourself and everything will go back to normal. You were always the best antidote to my various... Problems"

She gave a slight chuckle at that. She couldn't help but find it funny that she was his cure to murderous nightmares and a wide range of social failings. But she could see that the subject made him uncomfortable at that moment in time, it really wasn't something to discuss over the breakfast table.

"So what are we-"

She was cut short as a loud buzzing began to sound from Will's pocket, watching as he pulled his phone free and looked at the screen in surprise before speaking, putting the phone onto loud speaker.

"It's Dr.Lecter... Morning Doc, What's wrong?"

"Dammit curly top! Do I sound like that fuck-head to you? Put Sera on the line"

Sera felt her jaw hit the table top as Felicia's voice snapped from the other end of the cell. She sounded agitated but Sera couldn't find it in herself to wonder why. She was more concerned with how the hell Felicia had managed to get hold of a cell phone? Had Hannibal given her one?

"Did Hannibal give you the phone? What the hell Will! Why'd she get special treatment?"

"He didn't give me the phone, I stole it!"

The pair looked at each other as a shout echoed from the device, sounding suspiciously like 'fuck you asshole'. Dear god, what was going on back at Baltimore? And why hadn't Sera been invited to party?

"Felicia, are you still there? What's going on?"

"Long story short... shit, he's looked the front door...He pissed me off last night so I got a good healthy dose of revenge, and now we're playing cat and mouse around the house.... Guess who's the fucking mouse!"

Oh how typical. Sera had to fight down the urge to face plant the surface of the dining table at the other girls words. Revenge had always been one of the blonde's favourite tactics when made angry, she'd been on the receiving end a few times for minor incidents. Depending on the level of the offence, Felicia could show varying levels of creativity.

"Care to go into detail on the revenge?"

For a moment, there was no sound from the other end and Sera feared that perhaps the line had been lost until a sheepish chuckle came from the other. Sera really didn't get a good feeling about that sound.

"Well... Haha yeah... Fuck he moves fast... you see, he was being a total jackass... you heard me! JACKASS!... Telling me that I couldn't work any longer as a psychologist because I'm an 'Omega'. Some choice words were exchanged and I stormed off and waited till I knew he'd be sleeping... I rearranged his office, blunted his paring knife in the process and-"

She was cut short as the house phone began to ring out loudly, Will jumping up to answer and having to fight the urge to laugh out right as the voice filled his ear and he put it onto loud speaker as well. This was all too familiar to their early days of knowing the girls.

" Tell them what else you did dearest Felicia... And please refrain from yelling or using such vulgar language within the house we share, it does little to help the situation we find ourselves in"

"The hell did you get a cell phone from? And how's about you kiss my ass, You're a wanker and you know it!... Anyway, as I was saying, I messed up his office, blunted a paring knife and had a fiddle with his I-pad"

There was scoffing from the other end of Hannibal's call as the exotic accent drifted through the air, clearly irritated but trying his hardest to remain in control. Sera got the feeling it was failing, shuddering at the memory of the man's pheromones back at the hospital. Felicia must have been on the edge of madness from his scent alone, so it was a miracle she was coherent enough to call them at all.

"You did more than fiddle! You deleted my entire collection of classical music and operatic melodies, replacing them with the modern monstrosities that so many listen to these days. If that had not been enough, you have encoded the device so that I cannot access my own playlist to correct this crime against my hearing, I cannot even get past the home page to gain entrance to any other feature! Thank you, also, for the delightful picture of yourself as my new background cover, I assure you that it had the desired effect. And to answer your question, I always have a back-up cell phone for emergencies or incidents such as this... It is not the first time you have stolen my possessions"

Sera didn't even try to hold back any longer, her laughter coming out in a loud snort before taking over completely. There were tears in her eyes as she looked to Will, seeing the empath struggling with his own amusement as the argument continued between the separate calls.

"Revenge is a bitch and so am I!... For fuck sake!... Sera, He has me cornered in the dining room, If I die then know that I died happy in the knowledge that I rattled Hannibal 'ass bunny' Lecter cage and that I expect you to avenge my murder"

"Pfft, dream on. If you die then I'm going into hiding"

Sera waited for the smart remark to come back, but there was nothing. Only the sound of yelled curses, threats from the blonde woman and a scuffle before Felicia's line went dead. She felt a knot of fear lodge firmly in her heart as she snatched up the phone from Will's hand that was still connected to Hannibal, her voice a snarl as she spoke to the man, her mind racing with horrifying images of what could have happened only moments before.

"Where did she go! I swear to god, if you did anything to actually hurt her then I don't care if I'm an 'Omega' and you're an 'Alpha', I'll have your fucking head!"

Will seemed to go pale at the anger in Sera's voice. He knew how protective the pair were of each other, they'd gone through hell together and stuck by each other's side through some of the most terrifying events a person could imagine. He just hoped that Hannibal hadn't done anything too rash. The voice that responded was filled with exasperation, straining slightly as the sound of a body being lifted and moved could be heard in the back ground.

"I assure you young Sera that, whilst I was in pursuit of my mate, I had little to do with her sudden disappearance from the conversation... I had her cornered in the dining room, as she mentioned, where she saw fit to attempt an escape over the dining table. She misjudge her footing and tripped over a chair, effectively hitting her head against the flooring and knocking herself unconscious. She has a slight cut above her right eye so, if you would excuse me, it would seem I now have a patient to take care of"

The line went dead as both Will and Sera stared at the phone in disbelief. She'd knocked herself out? Sera sighed before standing up and making her way towards the nearest source of coffee, it was too early in the morning to be dealing with any of this. But she got the feeling that Felicia wouldn't be in any real danger from this point on, something just told her to trust Hannibal a little on this matter. Her voice was filled with the same exasperation that Hannibal must have felt as she spoke, pouring the dark liquid into a mug and taking a sip, noticing the fond smile on Will's lips at the entire situation.

"You know, for someone so smart, Felicia can be a real dumb ass at times"


End file.
